Homemade Household Products

Sponsored post by Essential Oil Living. The following information in this post has not been evaluated by the FDA. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure disease. Six years ago, when my son was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease at only 18 months old, I started a journey of intense research. What could have …Read More

by Jessica Ellingsworth of Mayvn, Contributing Author A recent school family project assignment had my daughters and I wondering what to conquer. “Let’s make soap!” one of them suggested. What?! Jessica here, and after a little research I have a fun and easy Spring project to whip up with kids and is also great for …Read More

A long time ago, before we even started Thriving Home, Rachel recruited me to make some DIY All-Purpose Disinfectant Spray. This was the first time that I saw how cheap and easy it was to make your own homemade cleaning supplies. Since then I have dabbled here and there in making my own products. To …Read More

By Jessica Ellingsworth from Mavyn, Contributing Author Autumn is definitely in the air (even here in sunny Texas, thank goodness!), and I am here to take seasonal foods to a whole new level by incorporating them into the skincare routine. Jessica here, and I was recently perusing a high-end spa menu here in Austin and …Read More

A printable recipe for playdough is available at the bottom of this post! I have such fond memories of making playdough with my mom and siblings. We’d watch in anticipation as my mom stirred up the mixture with our chosen colors. After it was done we would take turns tossing it around like a hot …Read More

If you’ve ever been stung by a wasp, you won’t forget it. They put a healthy fear in you that results in a lifelong avoidance. Well, children don’t have the luxury of life experience and in this case, they went right into a little play house where a HUGE wasp nest had been built. My …Read More

It’s a day after Earth Day and I have a confession to make. I think Earth Day should have less to do with whether or not Global Warming exists and more to do with what God instructs humanity to do with what He’s given us. The Bible teaches that we are called to care for …Read More

If you saw my post from Wednesday, you already know I transformed my grandma’s dresser into a changing table for the nursery. What I didn’t mention in the post was a little trick I used to get rid of the musty smell that the old dresser had taken on over the years. To remove …Read More

Guest post by Jessica from Mayvn The word ‘resolution’ gets tossed around like a hot-cake this time of year. Even though I love a challenge and a goal, I also want to be set up for success. Healthy reminders and practical intentions are the phrases I like to use. Jessica from Mayvn here (Note: you …Read More

My son was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease at 20 months of age. It was terrifying, especially when we had no family history at all. So, I did what I’m guessing many terrified mothers who feel out of control do–I began to research like a madwoman. My goal was to discover what could have possibly triggered …Read More

I was reminded this week how much I love a REAL Christmas tree. Imperfect? Yep. Messy? Yep. A hassle? You bet. Worth it? Yes. The scent of a cedar tree in your house is unlike any other. The smell hits you every time you enter the room. It brought back so many sweet memories to …Read More

If you are a Pinterest guru, you are probably flooded with all the home and cleaning tricks that are supposed to make your life easier. I have quite a few pinned on my Pinterest boards. While most of the things I pin end up just staying on my pin board and not becoming a reality, …Read More

With six little grimmy hands running around my house, our stainless steel refrigerator and dishwasher get embarrassingly nasty. Fingerprints are everywhere! Want to see? And these pictures don’t even show the half of it! It looks much worse in person. I’ve never known what to do about cleaning my stainless steel appliances because a) I …Read More

My kitchen is overrun with fruit flies this time of year. They buzz around our bananas, land in my wine, and I even got one stuck down in my ear one time! They drive me nuts! Here are two, DIY methods that I’ve found effective to getting rid of those nasties. 1) Use Apple Cider …Read More

Important Update as of 4/11/14: It has been over a year since using this on my carpet. The stains are still mostly gone, but my carpet is now lighter in those areas. I have old carpet so I much prefer this to the dark stains, but I want to give you fair warning that this …Read More

If you like to make your own non-toxic foaming hand soap like me, then you might be excited to see this deal on Amazon right now. By the way, if you don’t make your own soap, you should definitely consider it. As I explain in my post on it, making your own foaming hand soap …Read More

It worked! This all-natural DIY Drano recipe really worked. Not just once, but it did the trick two different times on my completely clogged toilet. (Yes, we have really crappy toilets–no pun intended.) Let me tell you, I was one happy home owner upon discovering this simple, cheap, and safe DIY Drano solution! That’s because …Read More

Guest post by Jess from Twenty-Something and Not Counting I’ve been making homemade laundry detergent for about 4 years now. Though I was a little nervous it might not work well or might take too long, I decided to give it a whirl. I made it once and never looked back! Seriously! I originally found …Read More

Seriously…why did I wait so long to do this? For years I’ve either been buying way over-priced safe hand soap or cheap unsafe soap. Those days are over. This past weekend, I used three simple ingredients to make my own non-toxic foaming hand wash. It is the perfect consistency, smell, and price! Read on to …Read More

Have a smelly rug? I do. Our living room rug is the gathering place for all creatures large and small. A few days ago when I was down on it playing with my little gal, I was totally grossed out by the scent of dog and feet. After the close encounter with my nasty rug, …Read More